Automatic safety appliance for motor-vehicles



APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1920.

Patented Sept. 27, 192i. Z SHEETSSHEET I.

flicfiaeidzi (/Z @74 1/ M. J. HAGERTY. AUTOMATIC SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I7, 1920- Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' 42;? 2 6% 502" (Vaduz?! Jaj'ep/z //6z UNITED sraras- MICHAEL JOSEPIE HAG-EBTY, 01' ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI".

A UTOMATIC SAFETY. APPLIANCE FOR IOTOB-VEHICLES.

To all whom it concern Be it kngwn that I, MICHAEL J I IAcmR'rY a citizen of the United States, residing a St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a oertain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Safety Ap liances for Motor-Vehicles,

' of which thc fol owing is a full, clear, and

exact description, such as will enable others skilled in' the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. V This invention relates generally to safety ap liances for vehicles and more particular y to an appliance which will stop a moving vehicle either automatically or at the will of-the driven The principal objects of my invention are,

- to provide a device which can be easily applied to vehicles and which device will stop the vehicle when in motion and in danger of collision; to providea device which Willeither automatically or at the will of the drivenstop t movin vehicle and there y prevent collision an v consequent injury to the occupants of the vehicleor of the vehicle itself; to width a'device which when the vehicle co lides with a person or an object actsas a shock absorber, cushioning the impact produced by the collision and automatically stopping the motion of the vehicle,

thereby preventing injury to the person and damage to the vehicle.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device, having thembove-mentioned objects in view, and which device can be utilized as a stand to support the vehiclein arai'sed position, so that the weight ofsaid transmitted from the wheels to In order to accomplish these objects; provide a device which can be attached to a vehicle such as an automobile, and which device when set in operation either automatically or by the driver will cause the automobile to be elevated from the ground and the axle of the vehicle will be supported bysuitable blocks sothat the wheels of the vehicle will be raised from the ground and spin idly in the air. 7 Y

lViththe foregoing and other objects in view, my inventionresidesin certain novel features 'ofconstruction and form, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and

device in its actuated position automobile is raised and s'tationarily supspcoiflwfldi of a Patented Sept. 27, 1921. ppHcatlbn filed September 17, mt. mm in. 410,95.

bile equipped with my device and showing said device in normal position.

Fig. 2 IS a side elevation, showing the whereby the ported'by said device.

Fig. 31s a plan view of the device and showing the automobile, in dotted lines.

4 is a front end view of said device. Fig. 5 IS a detail view of the supporting block. Fig. 6 is .a detail view of a pad desi nod to be attached to the sup rting bloc to form an axle receiving notdh? 1 i In the drawings, 10 designates the body of the automobile, shown in dotted lines, and having wheels 12, axles. 11, and floor '14.

The forward end of the automobile is provided with forwardly projecting horizontally disp osed arms 15 fixed to said automobile n any suitable manner. The forward ends of arms 15 'are provided with horizon talslots and in which are located pins or pro ections formed on the or striking plate 16.

. Pro ecting forwardly and outwardly from the sides of the striking Pivotally connected tot e arms 15 are the upper ends of arms 17, the lower ends of plate are wings 16'..-

sides of a bumper which are slotted and passing through the slots transversely-of the automobile is a rod 18. Blocks 19 are disposed forwardly and to the inner side of the front wheels of the vehicle and are carried by rod 18. The upper ends of blocks 19 are curved upward and rearwardly toward the front axle and are provided with seats 19" ed to receive detachableI pads 20' When pads 20 are in position on the blocks 19, the upper ends of said pads coiiperate with the upper ends of blocks 19 tojorm axle receivin notches 19". 4 etachably fixed to blocks 19 and projecting outwardly therefrom are transverse lugs 21. These lugs are triangular. in shape and are provided on their rearfaccs with serravtions. Pivotally connected to the lower set of arms 15 are hooks 22 which extend downwardly under rod 18 and are adapted to hold blocks 19 in their normal or'elevated position Hooks 22 are provided with up which are adapt-- ward extensions 22 and projecting outwardly from the sides of the striking plate 16 are pins :21 which when the striking plate 16 is moved rearwardly strike the upward Sprojections 22. causing hooks 22 to move outwardly away from rod 13, thereby permitting rod '13 to move downwardly in the slots in the lower ends of arms l7 sothat blocks 19 will drop to the ground.

A link 25. whose forward end is connected to bumper 16, extends rearwardly under the vehicle and is supported in suitable brackets carried by the floor of the vehicle. The rear end of link 25 is provided with a pin 26 which lies in front of the pivotal arm 27 pivotally supported from the floor ot' the vehicle. livotally supported from the floor ot' the vehicle are hooks 29 which i are connected to arms 27 by means of short Projecting outwardly from blocks 34 and in the path of the rear wheels of the vehicle are lugs 36/ A bell crank 37 is pivotally supported in said automobile and is adapted to be actuated by a spring-pressed pedal 38 located in the drivers compartment. The lowerendof the bell crank has a pin and slot connection with link 25 so that when pedal 38 is operated, link 25 will be moved rearwardly to operate arms 27 and hooks 29. A spring 39, one end of which is fixed to link 25 and the other to the body of the automobile, tends to maintain link 25 in its normal position. Expansive springs 40, the forward ends of which bear against the strik ing plate 16, tend to maintain striking plate .16 in its-normal or outwardposition- Normally blocks 19 and 34am suspended above the ground as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and locked in position by means of hooks 22 and 29 engaging rods 18 and 32, the ends of which are in blocks 19 and 34, respectively, and occupy the upper ends of slots formed in the arms 17 and 31. Bumper l6 and wings 16 'are'held in the. forward position by means of expansive springs 40. Link 25, the forward end of "whichis. connected to bumper 16, is Inaintained'in its normal position by means of its connection with the bumper and toy-con tracting spring 39.

As long as the road traveled by the ve-' hicle is'clear of any obstruction, the blocks will maintain their normal position and will nothe actuated. When the vehicle strikes an obstruction, 0., another vehicle, Wall" pivoted to arms 15 and moves'said hooksaway from rod 18, thereby permitting blocks 19 to drop to the ground as shown in Fig. 2. Blocks 19 are guided in their movement by arms 17 pivotally supported on arms 15 and provided with slots in their lower ends in which slots operate the ends of rod 18. The rearward movement of bumper 16 moves link 25 rearwardly and forces pin 26 carried by the rear end of said link 'against the upwardextension of pivoted arms 27 caus in'g said arms to swing forwardly. lHook's 29. being connected to arms 27 by links 30,

will swing forwardly with arms 27 and away from rod 32 so that rear blocks 34 being no longer supported by h'0oks'29 will drop to the ground simultaneously with the front blocks 19.

Arms 31 pivotally su ported on the vehicle guide blocks 34 in t heir movement, the ends of rods 32 which are carried by blocks 34 being mounted in the lower slotted ends.

of arms 31. As soon as blocks 19 and '34 drop to the ground, they remain stationary while the vehicle moves forward so that the front wheels of the vehicle ride on the inclined faces of laterally projecting lugs 21 carried by the front blocks 19 and the rear wheels ride upon the inclined faces of laterally projecting lugs 36 carried by real blocks 3 \Vhen the wheels of the vehicle reach the highest point or peak of lugs 21 and 36, the front axle has passed the high points of pads 20 and entered the downwardly inclined notches 19 in blocks 19 and the rear axle at the same time has passed the high points of pads 35 and entered the. downwardly inclined notches 34 in blocks 31.

As the wheels of the vehicle pass the peaks of lugs 21 and 36, the axles of the vehicle will drop into the notches 19 and 34 and as the distance from the notches to the ground line of blocks 19 and 34 is greater than the distance from the periphery of the. wheels'to the axles, the vehicle will be held elevated from the ground so that the wheels will be out of contact with the ground and will spin in the air and consequently the vehicle will remain stationary.

To release the vehicle from the blocks 19. and 34, pads-20 and are detached from blocks 19 and 34 smthat the wheels of the vehicle will roll down the rear inclined faces of lugs-21 and 36. By 'pivotally connecting the upper ends of arms 17 and 31 and by providing their lower ends with slots in which the ends of rods 18 and 32 are supported, the vehicle can. move forwardly while blocks 19 and 34 are stationary, a sufactuates hooks 22 and 29 to release blocks 19 and 34;. Each front block 19 is connected to its respective rear: block 34" by means of tie rods 41 which assistto maintain said blocks in their operative positions. By means of my device, a vehicle can be supported in a raised position in a garageor whenparking or for demonstrating ordisplay purposes.

While I have shown the device as applied to an automobile, it will be readily understood; that the device with minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts, can be applied to various vehicles, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scopeof which is set forth in the appended claims. 4

I claim as my invention: 1. The combination with a vehicle, of supporting members mounted thereoni n a normally inoperative position and adapted to be moved into a supporting position onthe ground, said supporting members being provided with seats for receiving the axles of said vehicle, laterally projecting lugs fixed on said members and designed to be engaged by the Wheels of the vehicle when said supporting members are ositioned on the ground whereby the vehicle is raised outof contact with the ground and the axles are seated in the axle seats of said members.

2. The combination with a vehicle, of means pivotally supported thereon, supporting members slidably mounted, in said means .and provided with seats'for, receiving the axles of said vehicle, blocks projecting laterally from said supporting means and having their rear walls inclined forwardlyand u wardly, and releasable means for normal y holding said supporting members in inoperative position, said supportingmembers being adapted when released to be moved into positions on the ground whereby, the wheels of the vehicle will ride upon the inclined rear wall of said blocks and the axles of the vehicle will lie-engaged by the axle seats of the' supporting members,

8. The combination with a vehicle, of means pivotally supported thereon, supporting members slidably mounted in said me ns and provided with seats for receiving t e I axles of said vehicle,blocks projectingllatem ally fronl said supporting means and aving their reanwalls inclined forwardly and up- -whrdly, releasable means for nor1nally'h0ld ing said supporting members in inoperative position, said supporting members being blocks movablcy adapted when released to be moved into positions on the ground whereby the wheels of the vehicle will ride upon the inclined rear wall of said blocks and the axles of the vehicle will be engaged by the axle seats'of the supporting members, and means operable by the driver for operating said releasable means to release said supporting members. i

fThe combination with a vehicle, of

arms pivotally mounted thereon, standards slidably carried by said arms and provided at their upper ends with .axle seats, alug carried by each standard and projecting laterally therefrom in front of each wheel, and releasable means fonnormally maintaining said standards in a raised position, said standards being adapted when released to drop to the ground whereby the lugs are positioned in the path of movement of the wheels of the vehicle so that the latter is raised thereby and its axles occupy the axle seats in said. standards.

5. The combination with a vehicle, of

blocks movably supported forwardly and to f one side of each wheel and-having lateral lugs projecting outwardly in the path of each'wheel, the upper ends of said blocks being notched to receive the axles of said,

vehicle, and means for normally holding said blocks in elevated position and adapted to release said blocks whereby they will rest on the round and the wheels of said vehicle will ride upon the inclined portion of said lugs until Y the axles occupy. the notches in said lugs whereby said vehicle will be held in stationary position.

6."The combination with a wehicle, of supported on said vehicle, removable pa s carried by said blocks to form notches in the upper end of said blocks and adapted to receive theaxles of said vehicle, saidblocks being arranged to be released and rest on the ground whereby the wheels of said-vehicle will ride upon the in-- mobile will be maintainedin elevatedposition, said pads being detachable in order to release the vehicle from its elevated position.

7. The combination witlra vehicle, of a device having standards normally held in inoperative position andadapted to beactuate-d to drop to the ground and said standards being providedfwith seats adaptedto receive the axles of said vehicle, wedgeshaped bleckscarri by said standards and adapted toenga-ge theiwheels of said vehicle,

whereby said "axlesfwill; occupy said seats,

said vehicle wigllbe supported in a raised position by said standards. V

. In testimony whereof I hereunto a'liix my signature this Qthiday of September, 1920.

MICHAEL JOSEPH HAGERTY. 

